Serge Lemay

My research focuses on acute kidney injury (AKI), a very common and deadly problem in hospitalized patients. My research seeks to better define the molecular basis of kidney cell injury and repair, particularly the role of special enzymes called tyrosine kinases and the signals they trigger inside injured cells. This work focuses on tyrosine kinases of the Src and Eph families and the role of an intracellular scaffolding protein called Dok-4, which regulates many of the responses triggered by tyrosine kinases. We are using biochemical and whole animal approaches to determine how tyrosine kinase pathways can be targeted to reduce AKI or accelerate its recovery in vivo, as well as how Dok-4 may function as a natural brake for these kinases and processes.

Keywords:

• tyrosine kinase
• adaptor proteins
• acute kidney injury
• cell signaling